Healthy Fats For BodyBuilding

Healthy Fats For BodyBuilding

For many of us, the idea of fat relates to fatty strips of bacon, oily and cheesy pizza, chicken skin dripping with fat, steaks with large chunks of fat, greasy french fries, a big oozy cheeseburger or any golden brown deep fried food. It is true, all of these have fats. Many of these fats are unhealthy. Are there any healthy fats for bodybuilding? There is more to fats than just unhealthy food.

Elimination of Fats

It feels like there has been a brainwashing exercise going on! It has probably done a lot of damage to how people perceive fats in their diet. To put it simply, it seems that all fats are bad. The idea that is being strongly advocated by the slimming industry is simple. That idea is that any fat is a problem. They believe fat should be eliminated, if people want to reduce their body fat. It is almost as if there are no healthy fats for bodybuilding.

This means that many food companies have gone out of their way to remove fats from their foods. Also some have even replaced them with sugar or artificial sweeteners, which are not good for you either. The processes utilized for removing fats from food could even have effects. Those effects include removing other valuable nutrients and compounds.

The idea that all fats are bad has made its way into the bodybuilding industry. There is a concern about having fats in diets as it is perceived that they will lead to the accumulation of fat in the body. That type of thinking has led to the removal of fat from protein powders. Which involves heat treatment, chemical washing, and hydrolysis processing to remove valuable anti-inflammatory compounds.

Are there good fats?

For many in the industry who have been doing a little more research, it is not difficult to see that in fact there are a number of fats that should be considered as important elements in a bodybuilders diet. Fats have the potential to bring some great results for bodybuilders if used appropriately.

Fat can be a valuable energy source, which enables the generation of energy over an extended period of time. Fats are also part of the walls of our cells which allow nutrients in and waste products to go out. They are also a contributor to processes for the regulation of body processes, including heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting and the nervous system.

There are also vitamins that rely on fats to enable their transport to the tissues in the body. This includes vitamins A, D, E and K. It is important to have a closer look at these fats and see what contributions they make. Try to get these fats into your normal diet. It also seems that it is worth considering how these will be included in a bodybuilding supplements program. So what are the healthy fats for bodybuilding?

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

These are probably the most important and valuable fats that we should be considering. These are a form of polyunsaturated fats although they do tend to have a category of their own because they are so important to body health. Omega 3 fats can help prevent muscle breakdown and they are great for joint health. They have excellent anti-inflammatory properties with the ability to play a very valuable role in developing and maintaining healthy cells. This is done through strengthening the cell membrane and ensuring cells are able to retain their shape.

Fish oil supplements are a well-known source of essential omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fats have also been identified as playing an important role in the production of compounds called prostaglandins and resolvins. These compounds play an important role in improving the flow of blood in the body and also reducing inflammation. These benefits are two important considerations for bodybuilders. Inflammation is the part of the bodybuilding process related to tissue building but it will impede the recovery process for muscles if it continues for an extended period of time. Omega 3 fats should be part of the supplements program for any bodybuilder or athlete.

If you wanted to supplement using natural foods as well, then fatty fish, such as mackerel, salmon, and herring are rich in omega 3. They are also found in walnuts, almond butter, flax seeds, fish oil, avocados and flax oil.

Polyunsaturated fats

Polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, as well as sunflower and cottonseed oil. They tend to be a little less stable and more vulnerable to turning rancid than mono-unsaturated fat sources. Polyunsaturated fats tend to remain as liquids at room temperature where some mono-unsaturated fats will become solids.

Polyunsaturated fats are able to help prevent your body from developing insulin resistance, which can be a precursor to diabetes. It is thought that large quantities of mono-unsaturated fats could actually exacerbate insulin resistance.

Monounsaturated Fats

The body is able to process monounsaturated fats efficiently. They are a good source of calories and will provide energy during heavy periods of training. One problem that many people face is the reduction of the quantity of saturated fat they consume. By replacing these with monounsaturated fats there will be an improvement and long-term it will lead to benefits in heart health, which will be beneficial to bodybuilders.

Monounsaturated fats have also been shown to increase the sensation of being full for longer. It has some impact on reducing variations in blood sugar levels. Bodybuilders can experience this during heavy workouts where they find there is an impact on energy levels and this could be accompanied by a craving for carbohydrates. An additional benefit is that monounsaturated fats are also effective in improving the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins that come from vegetables.

If you are looking for simple ways to get them in your diet, monounsaturated fats are mainly found in natural foods like nuts, avocados, olive oil, grape-seed oil, and canola oil. Olive oil is one of the best sources of monounsaturated fat. Peanut butter is also high in monounsaturated fats.

If you are looking for a food to include in your diet that is high in good monounsaturated fats then avocado is ideal. It promotes feeling full and helps to curb appetite while also giving you fiber and plant sterols that are great for reducing the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood. Maybe have it with extra virgin olive oil and some apple cider vinegar with your mother and do your health a favor.

Monounsaturated Fats Conclusion

It is important to remember that unsaturated fats are more beneficial in promoting good health, compared with saturated and trans fats. However, they are still able to cause a gain n weight if they are taken in large quantities. However, most of these sources of fats will be part of dishes rather than the main dish, so there isn't much chance of them being over-consumed.

Saturated Fats

It is possible to include some saturated fats in a diet. Make sure to monitor what they are and how much you have, but they are a quick source of energy. Try to remember that saturated fats are more likely to be stored as unwanted body fat. If you are looking for a natural food which could be a healthy source of saturated fats you could consider coconut better which contains fiber.

Summary

If you are a bodybuilder you should eat clean as much as possible. Diets made up of natural, unprocessed, whole foods and grains. When purchasing your supplements or protein powder consider what processing has occurred and how much the product will benefit you. It is worth paying some extra money to ensure that you get the full benefits from these healthy fats?

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